Worse Than Me
by WistfulSin
Summary: Iruni ends up working retail when she makes a bet against Hiei that she's more tolerant that he is. What could possible go wrong when you combine the wolf demon, endless camis, and a screaming child? HieiOC Oneshot.


I work in retail. I had a very boring day, which gave me plenty of time to think. This is what happens when I have to think on an empty stomach, while listening to dance music as I arrange clothes. Hell ensues. This is just a random short I decided to write. Thanks to Tsuki Koi for her support tonight too. Also, sorry for the randomness of this one, but for some reason I needed to write it. If you've worked in retail you may see why lol.

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"Baka ningen!" Hiei yelled, grabbing the poor man by the shirtfront. The scared fellow sweated and stuttered an apology while Iruni glowered disapprovingly behind the short demon.

"Put him down right this instant!" she demanded and the youkai did as she shrieked.

"He shouldn't have shoved between us like that. You could've been hit by one of those awful contraptions," he pointed at the cars that had swerved out of the way. Iruni had tripped into the road when the man in question had pushed between Hiei and herself while they were walking to Kurama's.

"I can take care of myself," she started pulling the short man away from the cowering human. "You need to be more tolerant. He didn't mean any harm."

"Yes _I_ need to be more tolerant of the baka ningens." His tone was laden with sarcasm, making her stare at him suddenly.

"Are you suggesting that I'm not tolerant?" she demanded.

"Your temper is as bad as mine," he rolled his eyes.

"It is not," she snapped at him, then reeled herself in with a false smile. "I'm perfectly in control of myself at least Hiei, unlike you. I don't go attacking people without a good reason."

He raised an eyebrow and kept staring at her until her own eyebrow twitched in agitation.

"What now?" she sighed.

"I bet, if you had deal with idiots all day, you'd snap worse than I do." He huffed at her. He'd hooked her as soon as he'd said bet and they both knew it. Repressing a smirk he added. "We can ask Kurama to pick a way to judge this if you want to prove yourself."

"Fine," she rolled her eyes and kept walking, shoulders tensed and hands in her jean's pockets. "Kurama can pick a place and I'll prove that you're a much less tolerant person than I am."

That's how this mess started. One stupid man walking down the wrong street, too close to the wrong demons and now she'd been catapulted into this ridiculous hell. Glaring at a mannequin dressed in a silky shirt and a skirt three inches too short Iruni heaved a sigh. Kurama would pick this place out of all three worlds for her to prove her tolerance wouldn't he? Bastard.

Iruni vowed right then that she would never bet again, at least not with the boys she knew. It always ended with something that embarrassed her or caused her emotional strain.

She hated the mall when she was shopping. Working there seemed like overkill. But here she was dolled up in gladiator sandals, denim shorts and a plaid cotton shirt with her hair flowing over her shoulders. The boys had downright laughed at her when she'd showed up at Kurama's to be dropped off. That was part of the deal. She had to be dropped off and picked up by the kitsune so that he could catalogue her moods, and she had to play the part. He'd done some charming to get her a job in the small fashionable boutique.

"Miss can you get that shirt down for me?" an ample bodied asked, swaying her hips as she stood still, staring at the wolf demon. She was the sixth that hour. She'd only been there for two.

"What size?" she put on her best professional smile, the one lawyers have that says I have no soul left worth stealing, but I'm going to pretend, just for you.

"Medium." Iruni's flat stare had the woman's face reddening.

"No really, what size?" she asked again and the woman sputtered and walked away. "It was just a question, no need to lie about it."

Turning back to the table of folded camis she'd been working on the demon girl realized someone had ransacked the whole stack she'd just finished in the few seconds her attention had been diverted. Growling with a smile she set back to work. The alarm at the front of the store, three feet from her, sounded and she watched as a security guard searched someone's bag.

"I'm Jo. What does that noise mean?" she looked down to see the shining face of a dark haired little boy as he stared at her with dark eyes. He was probably four, and his little hands were edging towards her camis. He was thin, and already bouncing. She imagined he was the hyper sort. Better to nip this in the bud.

"That sound?" she pointed at the door and he nodded. With a dead serious face she turned back to her folding and explained. "That's the alarm we use when someone does something wrong in the store. It lets the devil know to come up and grab them so that they can be punished and maybe get over their wicked ways before their soul ends up burning for eternity."

"Really?" his eyes widened with fright and she nodded.

"Yeah, he especially loves little children who don't listen to their mothers." She spoke sagely. Paling, the child ran away calling out to his mommy. She smirked and finished her task.

About the time she'd finished folding she had to pull down three shirts for someone who actually knew their size. Then she had to arrange the shoes left on the top shelf by size, just in case someone realized she wasn't really working anymore. Going through the motions seemed like a much more tolerable idea.

The little boy she'd talked too was running laps around the store, screaming about being a dinosaur. She twitched every time he passed her.

"Hn. You seem to be enjoying yourself," the deep voice sounded amused while trying not to be. She looked down at Hiei from on top of the ladder, bright smile in place.

"It's actually pretty cool here. I mean, I get free fashion advice from customers who mix stripes and spots. That kid is pretty entertaining, and I'm kept busy all day. Not to mention these shoes make my legs look great."

His warm hand slid up her aching calf as he looked at her, then he pulled back silently. He didn't want to help her cheat.

"Hey miss, can you tell me how these shirts look?" a teenager, maybe seventeen, looked at her with flirting eyes as he held up two shirts to his chest. Hiei's eyes narrowed as Iruni turned on the ladder to get a better look.

"Hard to say," she shrugged.

"How about if you saw them on me?" he offered and she didn't answer so he stripped his shirt off and replaced it with one of the two button ups. "This one or," he did it again with the second, "this one?"

"Neither, now stop embarrassing yourself," Hiei rolled his eyes as the little boy ran around him once.

"No one asked you half pint," the teen glowered, then turned back to Iruni with a grin. "I was asking the pretty lady her opinion."

"The first one looks better. It fits closer and has a much better color for you." She smiled pleasantly and climbed down the ladder, collapsing it and pressing it against the wall for later use. Rolling her eyes to Hiei once the young boy had left she started to walk around and pick up clothes that had fallen to the floor.

What the hell was with people who couldn't use hangers the right way? It wasn't rocket science. If something came with a hanger, use it, and do it right. Don't put something on the rack backwards, don't drop it on the floor. That seemed like a simple concept to her.

Apparently she'd overestimated the intelligence of society greatly. Jo made a sixth lap around the store, his voice still shrilling announcing that he was, indeed, a dinosaur. His mother half heartedly scolded him while talking on a cell phone.

"Not that bad huh?" the fire demon followed the wind bender as she picked up shirt after shirt after shirt, his red eyes tracking the yelling child.

"Not at all, it's fine," her voice was tense now. Hiei smirked and looked around, examining the soft fabrics and different styles. "What are you doing?"

"Looking," she raised her eyebrows as he shrugged. "Why don't you wear clothes like these?"

"They aren't durable," she stated simply. "If I got attacked in some of this-"

"It feels nice," he was running his hand over a dress that might not have covered half her thighs.

"I have no place to wear it," she turned away and realized that Jo the Dinosaur had destroyed her cami table again. "Son of a-"

"What was that?" the demon boy had moved into the sleepwear department and was prodding at night gowns and sleep sets when his eyes fell on the lingerie. Smirking he walked over to that instead of the cotton and silk apparel he'd been studying. This he might be able to get some use from.

"Nothing," she growled.

"You don't wear these either," he pointed out, touching a lacy bra tentatively.

"Hiei!" Iruni's voice was strained with embarrassment as he announced that fact. "I do too."  
"I've never seen them," he raised an eyebrow dangerously. Jo made round eight. "So where to do you wear them?"

She sighed and started folding again.

"Shinpi," he called quietly. He was half the store away from her, but still he managed to rile her up. Jo lapped around again, jumping onto the table she was working on. Growling finally she took one of the camis, with a censor attached to it, and waved it through the door without the child seeing. The alarm went off.

Without missing a beat she pointed at the small child, who'd stopped dead in fear, and widened her eyes in mock dread.

"Jo he's coming for you!" she yelled and the boy cried, running for his mother. Hiei raised his eyebrows, watching the child flee.

"Miss what did you do that for?" A man asked behind her and she turned slowly, eyes narrowed. Without a word she just stared at him like she'd stared at Hiro the moment she wanted him to know his death was adamant. The man's eyes grew large and she was vaguely surprised a wet patch didn't form on the front of his pants. He scrambled away with sweat pouring down his brow.

"I quit," she stomped over to Hiei and grabbed a grey silk bra with pink and purple hearts that he'd pointed out. Going to the startled cashier she threw her money with her employee badge. "I don't see how you can tolerate all this insolence! I've wanted to bash my head against the wall for the last hour just for something to do that would challenge my mind!"

"I'll let the manager know," the small girl squeaked and Iruni nodded sharply, jerking her bag over the counter.

"You have a lovely store," the demon girl acknowledged quickly before grabbing Hiei by the arm and dragging him out. "I could use a massage."

"Hn. You lose," he pointed out. "You're just as bad as me. Worse even. I don't scare children."

"Because you're the same size," she snorted, then asked quietly, defeated. "What do I owe you?"

She blushed as he pointed to the bag, a well acknowledged smirk on his face. "Although I have to say, seeing you lash out at that man was…interesting."

"I can't believe I lost." She complained.

"I can." He snorted.

"You wanted me to lose." With a pointing finger she poked hims accusingly.

"There's something," he paused as they walked, face lifted up, "attractive about a woman who can make a man cry with a single look. I wanted to see that quality come out in you."  
She blushed and looked away, knowing that would make his smirk widen. It was still strange, hearing him say things like that. Chancing a look at him she saw he was regarding her with ruby eyes that shouted more than words ever could.

"We've got a few hours before the fox realizes you quit when he comes to get you," Hiei faced forward again. "I say we use this time to the fullest advantage. There might not be time for me to get my prize once the others come over."

That stopped her dead on the sidewalk, as she was left gaping after him. He never slowed, the grin on his face hidden from her. There was no reason for him to stop, she'd follow him. And she did, running to catch up with a lovely red tint to her cheeks.

She thought back to when she'd vowed to never bet again. If this was the worst of her losses, she'd retract that statement now.

Gambling was very rewarding, when she bet against the right man.


End file.
